The Approximation of Longing
by piratempress
Summary: Post-timeskip. Robin finally arrives in Sabaody archipelago, and is chased by the World Government's men. Will she finally get to meet up with her nakama? Or will she be captured again?


**A/N:** I finally wrote my first ZoRobin Fic! :) I was inspired after reading the pairing's fanfic here. :D I'm no writer, the last fic I wrote was on 2005, so be gentle with me.

Currently, I am considering this fanfiction as done; although, if the whim to write arises again, there may other chapters, or the other chapters will be in a form of a doujinshi, since I am more comfortable drawing them. For now, it is done :D

Hope you like it and I would love to hear what you think. :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own One piece.

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She finally set foot in Sabaody. As Robin expected, the trip to the area was not easy, but she knew all these were worth it once she is reunited with her nakama. She missed their carefree laughter, the entertaining antics of her captain, even the unwelcoming gazes of the ship's swordsman. Reminiscing about it made her smile. Going back was the only option. If she could just. . .

"Shit!" she exclaimed as her pursuers gained on her. "I thought I lost them!"

She ran further within the back alleys to get away. If her map was right, she will get to Shakki's bar within thirty minutes. She had been trying to escape from them since this morning to no avail. All these running had been exhausting her. She paused to catch her breath, resting her weight on the wall as she tried to recharge her energy. The fatigue in her knees presented itself as she wobbled away. Still, her determination was unfazed. She knew that she can't stop now. Footsteps were drawing nearer to her direction.

Her heart throbbed wildly as the sound grew louder and louder. "Ojos fleur," she wanted to check where the person was coming from. Her efforts were put to waste for the coast seemed clear. There was no one there. Robin knew that she doesn't have the required stamina to run again, yet she hobbled her way to the next corner. The location of the steps was still a mystery to her.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _There it was again.

'The roof!' She sank at the realization. Why didn't she watch that area? She mentally kicked herself for the oversight. Before long, a hand grabbed her shoulder and covered her mouth.

"Be quiet!" Her captor growled.

To Robin's amazement, she didn't feel fear towards her abductor. The aura and scent was so familiar that she turned at once to confirm her guess. The sight of the green-haired man was pleasurable. "Zoro. . ."

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'Those guys never change' he thought as he ambled around the archipelago, imagining the boredom of waiting for his companion. He was the first to arrive in Sabaody. Compared to their previous visit, it seemed more perilous to stay in the area. Pirates brawling with each other, gunshots, and shrieking women were the sounds that polluted the air. He stayed clear of trouble. Their reunion was what he had been waiting for. Any situation that would hamper it is best avoided.

"Two bottles of sake please," he decided to pass time in the bar. "On to the New World?" The bartender asked. Zoro nodded in reply. "Then, you better be careful, they say it's full of surprises." He didn't believe him. Nothing can deter him.

Days spent with his usual routine of going to the bar had been wearing him out. 'Tch!' His restlessness overpowered him. The act of sitting and waiting was too much to bear for an excited heart. This was how his day went since he got here. He stood up, paid the tender, and exited with bottle in hand. He sauntered around to keep the boredom from creeping in. 'How many of these bars is more than enough for these people?' He thought as he passed the same looking pub for the nth time.

Casually sitting down on a bench, he decided that he already saw too much of the sameness found in the archipelago. He chugged on his drink while ruminating on why people found the place interesting. 'Those bozos.' He smiled to himself thinking that he will not be tricked like them. In his examination of the area, a familiar face caught his attention. It was one that he knew too well.

"Is that. . ." From the woman's gestures, he was sure she was Nico Robin. The manner she appeared was what caused his doubt. Even so, he was delighted at the possibility of seeing a nakama. He can't be wrong. The time he spent monitoring her actions caused him to memorize her movements.

In the past, he anticipated the day she crossed the line. Wherever she was, he made sure to keep watch. It was for his other nakamas after all. It was his job to look after them; although, the outcome he expected never happened. The only thing he was left with was the habit of looking out for her. After the events in Enies Lobby, the time he had no need to be cautious of her, he always found himself in proximity to Robin. His body seemed to instinctively know where she will turn up, and today was no exception.

Seeing the number of pursuers behind her concerned him. Without further thought, he left his sake on the bench. He needed to help her.

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"Sssshhh. . . I told you to be quiet!" He grunted as he surveyed the area for the men in black suit. Robin can't help but observe him as he do this. He changed so much over the last two years. His physique grew and the confidence enveloping him was stronger.

"Chikushou!" Robin heard him curse under his breath. "They don't give up, do they? I can sense around 50 in this area." She was not paying attention. The scar on his left eye caught her gaze. Robin touched it involuntarily.

The hand on his face caused the hair on his back to rise. He didn't expect himself to be this sensitive to touch. He didn't expect to like being touched. Two years with Perona helped him endure the presence of women. His association with Robin was probably the difference. His instinctive reaction was to remove her hand.

"I'm sorry," she genuinely apologized. She was worried that she invaded his personal space.

Noticing the uneasiness in her features, he smiled at her reassuringly and shook his head. At the same time, it amazed him how much he knew about the woman to guess what she was thinking.

"All those years, has it always been like this?" He uttered changing the topic. Robin nodded. A worried look was cast on Zoro's face realizing how hard her struggles were for the past 20 years. He took her hand to emphasize on what he was about to say. "Daijobu, we are all here now. I will make sure that we'll reunite with them whatever the costs."

With this said, he knelt down with his back facing her, one knee touching the ground. He motioned her to his back. "I know you are exhausted, and it will be faster this way." Robin nodded in affirmation.

She acknowledged the fact that he was like a tracking device in the past, but she didn't imagine him to turn up where she was today. The words he told her were something she wouldn't have expected of him two years ago when they first met, the time when he didn't trust her. She was always under his scrutinizing eyes. She got accustomed to this in time. Without her recognizing it, his presence was becoming a part of her.

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Robin laid herself on his back as he fastened his arms around her legs. With the touch of their bodies, satisfaction filled them. Today, they recognized the longing that was building up inside of them. It took them two years to figure it out. The warmth confirmed the presence of the other, the sound of their heartbeats resonating. Both were oblivious to the similarity of feelings between them. They both focused on holding back this new emotions burning inside them.

Zoro respected Nico Robin, and his original intention was to save her. He did not want his misplaced emotions to destroy the relationship they had as nakama. This was something she didn't need to know; although, for the moment, in their current situation, he allowed himself to savor her nearness and the faint smell of flowers the wind carried as he scurried to bring her to safety.

Robin tightened her hold as his speed grew. It was good that he cannot see her face from this position. He didn't need to see or know anything. This time she was permitted to envelop her arms around him, and to enjoy the whiff of sake emanating from his body. She buried her face closer to him, the touch of his neck to her cheeks sent a ticklish sensation to her body which caused her heart to oscillate.

The sight of the Strawhat's Jolly Roger then the Thousand Sunny Go was both delightful and unpleasant. Both knew this meant that they were finally reunited with the crew, and they finally get to see Luffy again. They were excited to see the changes that happened to their nakama after the two years of separation. Wondering what they would feel once they see them. Everything will be back to normal again. Everything.

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"Arigatou, Zoro. . . I think I can walk better now." Zoro knelt down to allow her to stand up. Her full energy didn't return yet, but she felt the need to prepare herself to normality before she reunites with the crew. "Hold on to me for support in case. . ." Robin smiled at him to cut him off allowing herself to one last wistful look.

"Oi!" Her reverie was broken by the captain's voice in the air. He was riding a large bird together with Chopper and their blonde-haired cook. She tried to walk the fastest way possible to catch up to him. The glimpse of her nakama excited her. Their arrival was a good excuse to mask the emotion coming up to her after what she had seen and what she had discovered.

Had he only imagined it, or did he see Robin mirroring the same hunger on her face. Lost in thought, he wondered at the longing he saw looking back at him from her eyes. He then remembered what the barman told him about the New World. That it was full of surprises. That he should expect the unexpected to happen. It dawned to him.

He was probably right. He was certainly right.


End file.
